Heat gun for temporarily drying.

[JMack]

Hello folks.
Lurker reading the site for quite a while.
Just joined. From Northern Michigan. I’ve been collecting for decades and just stashing always meaning to do the resto thing. I’ve got about 42 pieces and just retired from UPS so what better time eh?
Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel. New stove but not piped or wired yet.

I am soaking in Lye with a tank I built along with an E-Tank lined four sides of stainless as I have access to it easier than steel panels. My question would be….
After I come from the ETank would it be alright to dry with a heat gun and a quick wipe with oil till I can get them to a stove to properly season them to avoid flash rusting them? How much time do I have from tank to stove?
Thank you for the help.

Actually two questions if you will….
Since my E-Tank is directional, should I have a fifth panel on the bottom?

Pic of first batch.

 

[Doug D.]

Flash rusting is a common phenomenon and not really "avoidable". It comes off with the excess oil you wipe off before baking on the residual thin layer of seasoning oil. If I were in your situation, I'd get some USP mineral oil from the drugstore and wipe them down with it, just as a rust inhibitor. When you get to the point you can properly apply a manual seasoning, you can just wash the mineral oil off with some Dawn dishwashing liquid.

Four sides of anodes should be plenty. Keep the bottom clear so the pans don't accidentally touch metal.

 

[JMack]

Thank you Doug.
Good. At least I can get started on this so I will have my personal pans for the kitchen and camper ready when I do finish my remodel.

 

[Jeffrey R.]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your retirement, so what is you next career?

Everybody does things a little different and it all works out in the end. That being said this is what works for myself. After removing iron from my eTank they get washed with soap and cold water and dried with a cloth towel and set so the air circulates the piece in my garage that is temp controlled so in the summer no humidity. I have not had any issue with flash rust. I do find that if you wash with hot water you most likely will have some flash rust.
Normally I am cleaning 2 - 3 pieces in the eTank at one time depending on the size of the pieces. It is deep enough to stager some pieces high and lower.

Live life to the fullest and put a 5th piece of SS on the bottom of your eTank and wire it, only if it is deep enough. I find that the bottom of my eTank does clean the bottom of pieces better that with out it. My eTank is a SS barrel.